Cobalt

Visiting from Philly… birthday weekend. Unsure where to go but will probably be there this weekend.

From the second that I sat down at the bar, I was instantly displeased. There was one bartender and the bar was pretty busy. No problem I’m a very patient guy. When I was finally able to get a seat I just waited on the bartender patiently who took his time and chatted with people. I had no problem waiting because I could see that the bar was full and he looked like a hard working guy. So just as he started another conversation, now clearly ignoring me, I was about to finally speak up, but another guy walked up and asked for a drink right besides me and he obliged. I disrupted the two exclaiming that I was waiting before him. The bartender immediately got a huge attitude and started yelling that I need to speak up if I want an order and that he was swamped. First of all, he was not that busy because I was about to call him out for chatting with his homegirl instead of serving drinks. Second of all, no first of all, what kind of bartender ignores a fresh face that just sat down at his bar for the first time. I know he saw me cus he looked at me when I first walked up and multiple times after that. The sad part is that I am only disgusted by the attitude that he got and how he started yelling at me like I’m some child. If he would have professionally said, «Sorry I’m busy and I can’t really hear you back here,» despite that being a lie and the fact I never said anything since I was waiting on him to not «look busy», I would have been perfectly fine. So annoyed, how am I supposed to enjoy the rest of my time here after the bartender just cursed me out and the rest of the crowd thinks I’m an asshole? All because I thought I was doing the bartender a favor by waiting patiently. Aside from that the bar is pretty big despite there only being one bartender and the dance floor is super tiny, so idk. The karaōke (technically speaking) sounded really nice compared to typical bars with cheap gear. I’m just so disgusted by the way I was treated.

Came here a two Saturdays ago and had a ton of fun. I was with a group that consisted of a mix of guys and girls. Everyone there — whether guests or staff, were super friendly and welcoming. This was my first gay bar experience, and I loved it!
Some people were so nice and came and asked what brought us there and I told them, then they stuck around to dance with us. I love that I could come here without worrying about constantly getting hit on by sleezy guys. It was just tons of euphoria and fun.
The second floor had mostly throwback music, and the screens all over the dance floor showed the music videos. It was a great mix of music and the crowd was always hype, including me. Sometimes it takes a lot to get me to let loose, but I was able to here! Lots of throwback of Queen Bey. Had a great time.
Little Tip: Their bar is cash only unless you meet the $ 20 minimum.

A great place to meet friends, have cocktails, dance & have fun! The sign made me laugh!

The nasty reviews and nasty comments from the person answering them definitely put me off from coming here but I decided to give it a try anyway. The drinks were pretty strong and reasonably priced. Also it was lady’s night and I guess it’s free? Which was also nice. The bartenders aren’t friendly at all, the one security guard was friendly but everyone else was stand offish. My friend and I went up to the third floor which wasn’t open yet the door was open? And the man behind the counter asked us if we needed anything then proceeded to rudely tell us to go back downstairs. I get it we were in the wrong section but I definitely recommend the bartenders and staff change their tone of voice when they speak to customers.

Hey, remember that time our friend cooked us a fantastic Israeli dinner and her gay friend T. declared we should go to Cobalt afterwards? Me neither.
That’s not technically true. Like a work of magical realism, certain details stand out and are transmuted into things that defy mere perception. Facts about which one was previously sure become uncertain when drowning in a throbbing tide of men.
For instance, I always thought one needed to buy shots at a bar. Not so at Cobalt, where the bartenders poured free shots of vodka and passed them out like candy, or unspoilt dreams.
I also always thought that, as an Asian man, I would be some sort of unicorn for gay men. Given my orientation, I was oddly disappointed (but, in light of my record with women, not entirely surprised) that I was completely ignored.
Do you remember that scene from «One Hundred Years of Solitude» where the baby is carried away by a sea of red ants? I was sipping one of my free vodka shots when I heard a collective yell – not really a yell, but more of a subconscious yawp – swell through the bar. I turned around to see my friend P. – a French diplomat who looked like a petite foreign Ryan Phillippe – drunk out of his mind, his shirt half torn from his smooth alabaster torso, literally being carried upstairs by a sea of gay men. I hope he fared better than the baby, because I never heard from him again – in retrospect, probably because we weren’t really good friends to begin with.
But certain things are not magical realism, or figments of an intoxicated mind. Our friend T., who initiated us into this phantasmagoric journey, met a man there that night whom he later married. Things don’t get any realer than that – you know: love.

Friendly staff, clean environment, but kinda bummed it was so dead. Drinks were on point and not expensive at all.

Mr. Blanchard, the manager is rude and not receptive to feedback.
He will ban you or kick you out for pointing out anything that is going wrong.
In his words, he does not have the time to listen to customer feedback and so he makes up lies like that you took a drink outside, that you did something you did not do, and that you have been rude to staff.
This gets him to justify him turning what once was a very good and lively place to hangout into a ghost town, literally.
He will ban you if you comment, complain, or say anything that he does not like.
It is sad.

I was in town visiting for NYE. Our Hotel turned out to be just a block away from this bar, thankfully, so we wanted to check it out. We were running really late as we were driving from Buffalo. After pre-​gaming a bit at the hotel we headed here around 11:30 and walked right in. Cover was $ 25 which was on par for new years. The drink prices were on par too, mixed drinks ran about $ 6 each.
This place has 3 levels. The first level looks like a restaurant but that past was closed. After walking up the stairs, you get to the Main bar. We were able to order a drink fairly quickly and open up a tab. The bar tenders on this floor were great. They were able tell us about the area (first time in DC) and pour us some pretty strong drinks. The music down here was a mix for Top 40 and Hip-​Hop but a very good mix. There is also a small lounge area on the side of the bar with a tables and chairs.
We then ventured up to the 3^rd floor which I LOVED (there is also a bar up here). The DJ That night was MIMI IMFURST and she killed it! Its a little more dark and dirty, but that’s the best for EDM dance floors! They had a few TVS up there so we were able to watch the ball drop. The Ball drop was followed by a drag show, on the corner stage.
The place was busy but I never felt crowded, there is plenty for room to spread out dance or just stand by the bar and enjoy your drink. When I am in DC again, ill be sure to stop by!

This review is particularly about coat check staff, Basically I meant to give no star or actually below zero if there is any such standard. Coat Check staff is uncouth, cold, arrogant and unhelpful to put it MILD. I never have written any review about anything before I am kind of person who shrugs and walks away for most of undesired situation but your coat check staff deserves a note (or better to say an essay) of APPRECIATION for their professionalism. past Friday night, I left my friend’s place and on my way home, I just thought to stop by and have a drink and shake my butt off. Went up stairs, did check in my jacket and hoodie and small shoulder bag. its fine for different things, I have to get multiple tickets, gave tip and went to second floor. I got tired pretty soon and by 1:30−2 am I thought to leave. I admit its my fault that I lost tickets for my jacket and hoodie. I went upstairs and told them. I was told I have to wait until club closes and then WHATEVER is left I can show my ID and get my stuff if there is. :O :O
I was extremely polite and said I can tell you the company name for my jacket and hoodie and I have something in inner pocket just to prove that it is my stuff and you can take a pic of my ID and cell phone number and contact me if there is a problem and there are not many jackets and coat at this time, I already point out on a rack that these are mine.
I swear, the guy just put on his jacket and walked away and said you can talk to my boss, I turn to boss and asked Sir Can you help me? Same thing again repeated and I was feeling helpless, I was so tired and almost falling asleep. While I was telling the same thing to this man, he keeps counting money from cash register, didn’t even look at me once. Once he is done with counting, he walks to a door behind on the end of the room. I just gave up and sat on the couch, went downstairs again, just walking around waiting for 3’o clock official time to close. Finally clock rang, I went up, they demanded to see my ID, he took pic and then gave me jacket and hoodie, if it weren’t that cold outside, I would have left already (or may be not, hoodie is my favorite)
Now I understand, staff is told to do as per policy but there is a thing called compassion, friendliness and well mannered approach to deal this even though i gave them an option of my contact info and my Id pic. which they didn’t agree or basically didn’t listen. Its fine if it is policy of bar/​club and I respect that but my frustration is about the behavior and about attitude that I was treated with. The young guy at one point said, I don’t have time to listen to you, I have boy friend waiting for me and after that he walked and said talk to my supervisor who also happen to be VERY HELPFUL, BRAVO, KUDOS and all those words for appreciation to you TWO, you truly MADE me want to visit THIS place again, *CLAPS*
Please be considerate, kind, I did understand that may be their hands are tied and it could really be a strict policy (I have been through similar situation at TOWN and their staff is everything that makes it a truly amazing and fun place) but this could have been dealt in a better way, I had no desire of you telling me that you have no time for me (I was a customer and people like me who come and spend their money is a source of your salary) and you have a boy friend, GOOD for YOU.
Perhaps I will not come here again but if I do i just hope I never have to deal these two individuals again.

At one time Cobalt was my favorite club to go to in DC. The drinks were great, the staff was friendly, and the music was good. I’m not sure what has changed in recent year, but I really don’t enjoy myself coming here anymore. The bouncers, bartenders, and staff are typically very snooty. There is one bartender that works here who I think is fantastic, but the rest make you feel unwelcome. I understand the premise of being flirty and that is expected at a place like this, but some of the staff spend entirely too much time chatting. I tried not to base my review off of the weekend nights, so I indulged in the scene during the week (Tuesday) to see if maybe that was a better time to enjoy Cobalt. Nope. The bar had maybe 5 people, but the bartender was so preoccupied flirting with trade that I had to wave him down for a drink. The interaction was short & unfriendly. Again, I tried to be open minded and do it again on a different day (Thursday) but got the same feeling. Not only that, but the best music is downstairs and it gets immensely crowded to the point where you are literally fighting for your spot on the dance floor.
The upstairs is recently renovated and is actually very spacious with plenty of room at the bar and on the dance floor. They offer drag shows/​karaōke during the week which I think is fantastic. During one of the drag shows they offered $ 1 rail drinks which I thought was incredible. If this place has a saving grace, it’s the upstairs. The only problem is this: the weekday turn out for these events can be lackluster. The same goes for the music up here on the weekends.
I think there are much better options for you to hang out with friends or meet new people. The best thing about Cobalt is that if you really are looking for some place to get loose and party, you won’t go wrong here. If you are trying to have a memorable night with friends, pass.

With so many options, why would anyone ever go here when the impersonal bartender Jimmy is working, he is nasty and suffers from a Napoleonic complex. My advise is to stay away

They have all these restrictions and minimums on using a card or running a tab. Really? The music ain’t great and the drinks are in disposable cups.
Edit: ok, upon reflection the music was good. So I’ll up the rating by one. But listen, I can put on iTunes. The annoying card policy on top of a cover charge would prevent me from going back.

My problem with DC gay night life (actually pretty much every gay night life) is that it caters to boring, basic twinks in deep v-​necks who love Beyonce a little too much and believe that Miley invented twerking.
Friday night at Cobalt, for the most part (I had one bad Friday night here to date), is the best you can get in terms of an ecletic blend of hip hop throughout the night from early 2000s to reggae to ratchet music you can just get down to. I’d say their music selection is better than alot of the straight places in the DC area (although that’s not saying much).
For the most part, people are actually dancing as opposed to standing around sipping their drinks. Also a bonus, the crowd is pretty diverse, for now (we all know what happens to the night life and music scene when gentrification-​by-​twinks happens).
I’m not sure I’d vouch for Cobalt on Saturday nights. Been there a few times and didn’t really like it.
If you’re looking for a place where they don’t play Madonna, Beyonce, Cher, and their EDM remixes for hours on end, Friday at Cobalt is where it’s at.
Also the free vodka from 11pm to midnight doesn’t hurt.

I have to say this was a first one for me…
I’ve ordered four drinks from a bartender, he makes my drinks and then leaves them in front of me at the bar and tells me the price. I leave cash money at the bar with $ 6 tip and pick up my drinks.
10 minutes goes by he finds me on the floor asking if I paid for the drinks. I said I did by leaving money at the bar with his tip. He starts to argue with me how that’s not how it works and that I need to hand him the money and that I now I need to pay for those drinks again. On what I said, «Did you give me those drinks in to my hand»? And he sain, NO, I left them at the bar in front of you.
ME: In that case, I’ve never gotten those drinks, they were left at the bar…
BARTENDER :Walks away confused…

Been several time on my visits to DC, this last weekend was able to enjoy it a little more than usual. The food was good, staff friendly, music good and the crowd was fun.
Monday night’s drag show was actually pretty good, if not a little difficult to see in the space through the crowd.
I had a great time using Cobalt as my main hang-​out.

I went for Ladies night, which is every third Saturday. Great drinks, great deals and great staff! The security guards and all the staff I met were super awesome. The bartenders were cool. The music was the bomb.
The venue is great. They had three floors, beer pong on the first floor, dancing and mingling on the second and a huge dance floor on the third. This is the best setup that I have ever experienced. Great place!

I can imagine this place to be a lot of fun but unfortunately that’s all I can do, is imagine. On a Sunday night there were only 5 people here, and I am not exaggerating. I think it was karaōke night, that or the DJ was just singing along. I couldn’t tell. Nonetheless, not bad digs, would try it on a different night.

This is a wonderful place to dance and they have good drink specials on some nights. I have come several times and usually enjoy myself but often the folks that work the door are in terrible moods and are really rude to the customers. They should work on that, since this is the first impression customers will have. I try to avoid it now– who wants to be abused before even paying cover?
Go basically anywhere else.

I am not too hot on this place. I love gay bars, but for me there was something lacking about the atmosphere and the bartenders. I have been here twice now and both times drinks were weak. You pay $ 7 – 9 for a drink that doesn’t have enough contents to get the job done. Even after 2 you still feel sober. I might as well be drinking water if that is the case.
Dance floor is spacious which is good, and there are lounge areas around the bar and tables as well. I am not too keen on the unisex bathroom. I don’t think I want to see a guy using the urinal which I walk into a stall. Then again this is a gay gentlemen’s bar, and they might be a lot more comfortable with that sort of stuff. I on the other hand, am not.
I’d say there are better options for gay bars, but that is strictly my opinion.